I rise Ace at trick one, judging that 3145 is more
likely than 2245 or 3244. Whatever LHO has, his
double is pretty silly at IMP Pairs.

MIKE (WHO KNEW THE HAND)

This is a guess. RHO has the DK and HKJ and LHO has three aces,
two spades and one or two hearts. The double makes more sense
with a stiff, but with six clubs and four diamonds, he might not
have passed at his second opportunity. I think he is 2245 and
RHO is therefore 1462... so I should duck at trick one.

ROLF

I guess I duck.

WALTER (AND WEB SIMILARLY)

Hmm, what happened to the diamond suit? I assume LHO has 4.
If RHO is 1561 or 0562 the oponents are making 5 or 6. If RHO is 4-6 in
the reds they make only 4. Given the lead of the 7 which is high
enough to be a doubleton, I duck. Before playing I would need to know
if the oponents bid 1 with 4 and 6. If they don't I play the A.

JEFF AT THE TABLE

Rise.

VOTES

7 rise, 4 duck

WINNING ACTION

duck. LHO was 2245 and RHO 1462.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

Diamonds are pretty clearly 4-6, so
the question is, "is LHO 3145 or 2146, or 2245?" I'd guess
one of the former; a player who doubles out of the blue is
usually leading a stiff. But, consider RHO's problem. With
1561 or 0562, would he really pass 4x? Nah. He's 4-6 in the
reds, so it's right to duck the first trick. I blew it at the
table, but upon reflection, I think it's pretty clear to duck.

IMP Pairs, unfavorable

xx
AKxx
AKxxx
Qx

A87xx
Jxxx
Qxx
x

LHO opens 3 and all pass.
Partner leads the K; you
encourage. He continues with
the A and K, all following.
To trick four, he continues
the Q. Over to you.

This one has an unequivocal answer. If partner had
three spades, he'd've cashed the Q before the two
trumps, forcing you to duck and win the third round
of spades with the Ace. He didn't, so he hasn't.
He must have only two spades, so overtake and give
him his ruff.

Ed points out that while this is obvious to partner
when he has a doubleton, it might not be so clear to
him when he has KQx. Since few opponents will preempt
with four spades and a crappy suit, one must weigh one's
trust of partner against one's mistrust of the opponents.
I cast my vote to trust partner. At least I get to win
the post-mortem, and as we all know, I'd rather get it
right than win.

Joel makes another point: "The correct theoretical answer
to this must be to overtake A, and give partner his spade
ruff. If pard held KQx, he should have led low
(even at the cost of an undertrick)."

That'd be a heck of a nice partner. I won't hold my breath.

Matchpoints, none vul.

You deal yourself

--- AJ8432 --- QJ87432

What action do you take?

ANDY

Pass, and hope to show both my suits later.

BARRY

Pass and await developments. There will be some!

BOB

1

CURT

Pass. When I have this hand, I keep bidding until
I become declarer (it will not go all out...). Therefore,
if I open the bidding, and a lot of spimonds are bid by
the three opponents at the table (CHO could easily be
just that if he keeps bidding spades), I won't be able to bid
my suits vigorously enough to convey my length without getting
raised above whatever I can make.

DAN

1. 14 points
[K&R says 14.35. --Jeff]
is a mandatory opening. What I want is for partner to
prefer clubs with equal length, so I start with 1.

ED

Pass. I feel more comfortable describing this hand after
initially limiting its high card strength. This will be
important if partner has a good but non-fitting hand. Partner
will get a better picture of my hand if I pass originally and
then cue bid a couple of times than if I open the bidding. I
will also be able to respect my partner's final double if I
begin with a pass.

JOEL

Pass, and catch-up later.

MIKE

Can't pass, since I use so many fit showing bids in competitive
auctions. Isn't 1 canape obvious? [No. --Jeff]

ROLF

1 - maybe I have the chance to bid on the 5 level...

WALTER

1

WEB

4

JEFF AT THE TABLE

1

VOTES

Pass

5

1

4

1

2

4

1

WINNING ACTION

hard to say. They are cold for 6NT or 6.
A slow start suggesting high-card strength might keep
them out of slam, since they are each balanced. It
did, in fact. I opened 1 and "reversed" into hearts when
partner responded 1 on his 7222 2-count. I saved over
3NT (duh) into 4 and they subsided into 5, which I
knew to pass, since it was pretty clear that they were
making 3NT. 5 is a good save against 5, but 6 isn't.

MPs, unfavorable, you hold

KQ532 K8 AKQ63 8

CHO

RHO

You

LHO

Pass

Pass

1

Pass

Pass

2

2

2

2

3

?

ANDY

Pass, scared by the vulnerability.

BARRY

3. I seem to have a little extra and that seems the most
clear-cut move in the face of my partner's free bid. I guess
just bidding 3 is a reasonable alternative, but I think I
have a little game interest... well maybe it is an overbid
but I play them well.

BOB

3. Now that the heart King is devalued, you've
justified your decision not to bid 3 on the previous round.

CURT

3 seems right on values and shape.

DAN

3. Since this hand is the answer to the question, "What's a
perfect hand for bidding 3 on the previous round?", partner
won't play me for it now. I want partner to bid 2 in this
situation on cheese, so I'll take my plus.

ED

I need partner to have some help in spades and possibly hearts.
Game is not likely but I can call attention to the right suits by
bidding 3 and then leave it up to partner.

JOEL

3...maybe partner will read this as a help suit game try,
as I'm intending it. Or, maybe partner will jump to game
because he has an ace and decided not to respond the first time

MIKE

I know this hand too. Partner has the right smattering of queens
and jacks to make 4 decent (and cold on the lie of the cards).
After partner has free-bid 2, you should bid 4. At my table,
partner merely preferred spades non-competitively and we stopped
in 3. Maybe I should have bid three diamonds.

ROLF

3 should still be safe and give partner the opportunity to bid game.

WALTER

3

WEB

pass. -110 might actually be worth some match points.

JEFF AT THE TABLE

3

VOTES

3

5

3

2

Pass

2

3

2

4

1

WINNING ACTION

any game try. Partner has Jxx Qxx 10xxx Qxx.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

At the table, I realized immediately that I'd made
an error. The game try should be 3 so that partner can upvalue
the Q irrespective of his diamond holding. It won't matter
all that often; if he had the same hand without the Q, he
might well bid 3, after which you can bid 4. The advantage
of 3 is that partner will like J10x Qxx 10xx xxxx, which offers
reasonable play for game.

As to those who think that 3 is right on the previous
round, why? What are your chances at a diamond game?
I'd guess zero, since partner doesn't have an ace. If
he doesn't correct diamonds to spades, 2 is plenty. If
he does, you can bid again. So, I see no point in bidding
3. Moreover, bidding slowly got us into a good position,
as partner was able to show some values in the actual auction.

MPs, unfavorable

985
Q854
Q63
J97

K4
A3
874
AKQ654

You

LHO

CHO

RHO

1

Dbl

Pass

1

1NT

Pass

Pass

2

2NT

Pass

3NT

All Pass

Do you approve of the bidding?

BARRY

I would not have thought of 2NT. I do not think it is terrible but
I would have passed.

BOB

I rather admire the 2NT bid, but the 3NT bid is a mistake. If both red
queens were a red king it would be a better bid. You can practically
write down partner's hand and you don't have a ninth trick for him.
[Thanks! --Jeff]

CURT

Dummy cannot take a joke, obviously.

Declarer's bidding is fine. This is matchpoints
and the opponents are Nonvuln.

DAN

Almost. I like 1 followed by 1NT, but I think 3 is better (and
clearer) than 2NT. Partner wasn't on the same wavelength but we're in
a good spot; if I can get the distribution right I'll make this.

JOEL

I don't approve of the bidding. Dummy needed help in spades or a
king to bid again.

MIKE

3NT is an overbid. Because of your clubs, you know partner's are
coming in. That doesn't mean you are taking 9 tricks. It means
you are taking the same eight tricks partner was hoping for when
he bid 2NT. I know this hand, too... and amazingly my partner
bid 3???? over 2NT. Now that was psychotic...

T1: K-3-2-4
T2: 9-Q-10-8
T3: 7-2-A-3
T4: 4-8-J-10
Over to you.

EVERYONE, INCLUDING JEFF AT THE TABLE

run the clubs, trying for the
stripsqueeze vs.Axx Kxxx AKJx xx.

ROLF

A small spade is probably the best chance to make the contract as
LHO is unlikely to hold both K and A. Anyway I would like to make
8 tricks for sure, as this seems to be a good result compared to 2
or 3. So I'll take my Club tricks and decide in the end if I go
for the ninth or not.

CURT ADDS

-100 might be pretty good, whereas down a few rates
to be a disaster. [It wasn't; it was. --Jeff]

WINNING ACTION

RHO has the A, so you need to
lead a spade to the king right now.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

Obviously, there are two lines:
1) the stripsqueeze, and 2) the spade finesse.
Why didn't LHO lead or shift to a spade? It
really looks like she has the A. But what's
RHO bidding on? QJxxx and out? Seems a little
dubious. Since LHO has erred, a spade lead or
shift beats the contract, I had to guess how and
why she erred. Upon further reflection, one possible
reason was that she was afraid of leading into my AQx,
knowing that dummy was short of entries. If she had a
clue, however, she'd know that I'd then have nine
tricks on her imagined layout. Anyway, that gives
her Jxx KJxx AKJx xx, a reasonable takeout double.
Which hand does she have? I didn't know then, and
I don't know now.

MPs, none vul, you hold

K84 AKQ2 AQ532 3

CHO

RHO

You

LHO

1

1

Dbl?

4

Pass

Pass

?

Do you agree with the negative double?

ANDY

I agree with the negative double.

BARRY

No. I bid 2 not expecting this raise in .

BOB

My style is to bid 2 with this, but I don't mind a double.

CURT

I would have started with 2, to ensure that I communicated
my values. In this auction, partner could pass with a lot
of hands with decent trick-taking potential, considering
the typical dogs I usually have for negative doubles at
nv/nv matchpoints that are looking to compete at low levels.

DAN

No, I can't imagine why one should not start with 2.

JOEL

I would have bid 2 on the previous round, then reversed into hearts.

MIKE

The negative double is a wretched, non-descriptive call. It
fails at describing either your strength or your distribution
and leaves you poorly placed in most follow up auction (since
you will never be able to bid diamonds forcing after making a
negative double).

ROLF

Seems to be the normal bid.

WALTER

No, 2 seems normal.

WEB

This hand is too good for a negative double. I would
start with 2, and bid hearts at my next turn.

JEFF

At the table, I started with the double. I expected
that'd be the best way to get information from partner
and perhaps get hearts played from his side to avoid a ruff.
2 is OK, but getting hearts into the picture early seems more
important. Since my hand is good enough to force to slam,
I don't see why I won't be able to force in diamonds later
should I need to; I might have to bid 3 and follow it up
with 4, or I might just be able to jump to 4 (one of those
sequences must be forcing) but that doesn't bother me. Hmmm...
come to think of it:

CHO

RHO

You

LHO

1

1

Dbl

2

Pass

Pass

3

Pass

4

Pass

4

CHO

RHO

You

LHO

1

1

Dbl

2

Pass

Pass

4

Which of these 4 bids is forcing? The first one sounds
as if we've probed for 3NT, found no stopper, and are
groping for a playable strain. If, then, it's not forcing,
the second had better be. Does anyone know? For what it's
worth, if they jump to 3, getting a forcing heart bid in
after starting with 2 isn't so easy:

CHO

RHO

You

LHO

1

1

2

3

Pass

Pass

?

Blech. Then again, we are not all that fond of our current
situation, either.

VOTES

Yes: 2, No: 8

What now?

ANDY

I double again. I might be missing a diamond slam, but I
would have similar worries about missing hearts if I had
bid diamonds last time around.

BARRY

Double. What else?

BOB

I make a positive double. Even if we have a slam, +800 is a good score
and we might get +1100. Besides, there's no guarantee that we are going
to bid the right slam at this point.

CURT

I would like to be scientific but I don't think I can
anymore. 6 seems most likely to get partner to raise
to grands that have play while avoiding those that don't.

DAN

Dbl. SHOW ME THE MONEY!

JOEL

with the position I am in, I consider it way too likely
that I'm making 6, so I'll bid 5nt, choice of slams, and correct
clubs to diamonds...hopefully partner will realize this can't be
based on a 5th heart, or I would have bid 2 on the round previous.

MIKE

Double. If everyone passes, it may be important for partner
to lead the first round of trumps, so don't lead a low one...
start with the K (leading A from AK) to try to get attitude
about the jack. On the actual hand, it is trivial to work
out to underlead in diamonds at trick two to get the critical
trump played from the right side.

ROLF

Double. Slam might be cold, but if partner does not bid over
double we are probably in the right contract.

WALTER

4NT

WEB

I'm endplayed into doubling again.

CONSENSUS

double

WINNING ACTION

double. They go for 1100 when partner
suprisingly shows up with a trump. If you don't
defend, 6NT, 6, or 6 all make, 6 a little
luckily. Double seems clear; second choice is
probably 5NT, intending to correct 6 to 6. That
all assumed that partner would sit. He won't. He
has x 109xx K10 AKQ109x. If you started with
a negative double, he'll probably pull to 5.
You can bid 6 with some confidence and 6NT with
somewhat less confidence but more matchpoints. If
you started with 2, partner will pull to 5. I do
not envy your position now. Note that if partner's
red lengths were reversed, after the negative double,
partner could pull to 4NT. Perhaps that double isn't
quite so wretched, huh?

Assuming one chooses not to double, what's the
difference between 6 and 5NT? (And 5?) I think
6 should show a good six-bagger, with 5NT only
showing something like what we have. 5 promises
first-round spade control. I think. So did partner;
I tried 6 and he chose not to correct. Upon reflection,
double is best, but then bidding 6NT over the pull seems
best. At least at matchpoints, and assuming that partner
didn't pull to hearts. (1460 will beat 1440 when partner
is void in spades.)

MPs, favorable, you hold

AKQ95 AQ852 --- AJ9

Partner opens 1.
What's your plan?

ANDY

Strong jump shift in hearts. I won't stop short of 6, and will bid 7
if partner has the kings of clubs and hearts. I don't really want to tell
partner about my diamond void, since this will only discourage him.

BARRY

2. Partner has psyched, but oppo may reopen is my first bet.
If he bids again I bid 7. (Yes this is probably illegal but
2 is the lowest ethical bid - I can explain it to the C and E
by saying i was going to ask for the K later on...) [Barry is
joking, but of course bidding 2 is legal. In fact playing
partner to have psyched is legal, provided you are doing it
using only authorized information, which is the case here. --Jeff]

BOB

Four NT then five NT. I'll take a shot at 7NT if partner leaps to
seven or has three kings.

CURT

My plan is to bid 2 (gf, I hope), raise
spades, and get into a cuebidding sequence.
I want to locate the K and then the A and
a minor suit kings is 7NT.

DAN

My original plan was to futz around for a while and bid an
unsound 7. My new plan is to bid 2, then bid minimum clubs,
then bid 6 (I'm hoping for 1-2-2NT-3-3NT-6). Partner will
bid the grand with the round Kings, don't you think?

JOEL

I'll bid 2, then raise spades. Next I'll cue bid clubs.
Hopefully I'll get a better idea of what shape/highcards
partner's looking at late in the auction, since NT is still
a possibility.

MIKE

Two choices... Jac 2NT (hoping to find out about a stiff minor)
or 2. I think starting with 2 is best... as this way you can
find out for sure if partner's hearts are Kxx or Kx.... that way
you will be best placed to make the MP decision between 7 and 7NT.

ROLF

2 - my 1st idea is to make trumps in order to explore if
partner holds K or not.

WALTER

If I can make a strong Jump shift and show a diamond void
I do that. If partner supports hearts over the JS I'll bid
5N then 7 if the K is shown. If partner doesn't support
I'll show the void in diamonds with spade support. If playing
Bergen, I bid 2 and hope to be raised so I can bid 5N next.
If not I bid 3 next and drag partner to 6 unless partner shows
the K.

WEB

(Glare across the table at Shuster for psyching... )
This is really a methods question. In my methods, I'd start
with 2NT game forcing spade raise and see what partner
had to say (especially because a splinter bid must be
a singleton and not a void.)

2. That lets you get to 7NT. 7 was
a tad above average. 7NT was a near top.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

I like 2. That will tell you right
away if 7NT is in the picture. I think it's pretty
unlikely that we'll stop below 7 anyway, so we need
to focus on the real decision.

MPs, unfavorable, you hold

AJ104 92 K643 K63

2-2; 2NT (23-24)-?

ANDY

Stayman. I am interested in finding a spade fit, but if
we have a diamond fit I would rather be in 6N at matchpoints.

BARRY

5NT - pick a slam is possible converting 6 to 6. But Stayman
and 4 over 3 and 6NT over everything else also makes sense.
I'm playing 6 or 6NT. [Most play 5NT as forcing to 6NT but
inviting 7NT, no? --Jeff]

BOB

3. It's kind of a guess whether to Stayman of not, but
I like my chances of making a thirteenth trick in spades enough
to give up the extra ten points for notrump.

CURT

6NT. I think this is a corollary to the rule that,
at MPs with 2 balanced hands, a 4-4 major suit fit, and
29+ HCP with no slam, you generally are best to play NT.

DAN

3. A perfect subminimum makes 7 very good. Why shouldn't
I try to get there? I'll try to get into a cue-bidding
sequence to show my Kings.

ED

Relay systems have a huge edge over Standard American bidding
in exploring for a grand slam opposite a strong balanced hand.
Here the best I can do is Stayman. If partner shows spades, I
can confirm a spade fit via a 4 cue bid. If partner denies
spades, I can bid 5N and then suggest a 7 over partner's 6
bid by bidding 6.

[I play something better.
I play 4 nearly forces to slam; partner bids 4NT with a 4333 minimum,
but otherwise bids a 4-card suit he'd be willing to play at the 5-level
or a 5-carder at the 6-level. As far as I know, it was independently
developed by Eddie Kantar and Danny Kleinman and probably some others. --Jeff]

MIKE

4, K-K slam force.
I believe at the table I bid stayman, followed by 6
over the 3 response, worried about missing 7, but fairly confident that
this hand would play a trick better in spades than in NT. Bidding 6NT here
would be too unilateral, regardless of the form of scoring (you may not get
to 7 when it is right, but 6+1 still scores more than 6NT making).

ROLF

6NT - this is very likely to be the normal contract and I will not give the
opponents any information for the defense.

WALTER

6NT

WEB

6NT. Hope that partner can win some matchpoints for
+1470. I don't think I can get enough information to
bid 7 when it's right.

JEFF AT THE TABLE

6NT

VOTES

6NT

4

3

4

4

2

5NT

1

WINNING ACTION

Stayman and get to 6. Partner
has KQ97 AK3 AQ8 AJ5.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

The 4 gadget would have been perfect.
We want to play spades if partner likes his hand
for suit play. He's 4333, but has good chances to
obtain a useful ruff, so I think he'd cooperate and
we'd end up in 6.

In 6NT, we have a play problem. We got the lead of
the Q (I thought it was a small one, but just
checked the hand records). I see three sets of lines:

duck a heart and play for a diamond-club squeeze.

check diamonds. If they are 3-3, take the club
hook for 7 and a win. If RHO has four diamonds,
try ducking a heart to LHO and then playing for
a showup squeeze. If LHO has four diamonds, try
for a stripsqueeze against him assuming he has
the Q. You'll need to guess his shape.

Figure the field is going to be split between
6NT and 6 and take your 25% board by playing
it straight up, taking the club finesse and
checking diamonds.

It's not clear at all which of these lines is best.
I think (1) is the worst. It's about 14% to win
the board; that's worse than hoping for 3-3 diamonds
and the club onside, in which case you'll be +1470
for a win (more or less line 3). Line 2 is harder
to figure; it might depend on misdefense or guesswork.
I'd guess that it has a better chance than any other
to outscore those in 6S, but it often pays off to those
in 6NT who play it straight up.

In practice, diamonds were 4-2 off and the club hook
was on, so if one tries (1), one goes down. If one
tries (2) or (3), one gets +1440, losing to the 1460s
out there. I think -100 was a 1+, +1440 was a 14, and
+1460 was a 38 or so (on a 51 top).

MPs, favorable

A92 J64 743 K1084

LHO

CHO

RHO

You

Pass

1

2

Pass

Pass

Dbl

Pass

3

3

All Pass

What do you lead?

ANDY

I lead a small trump without conviction and for no good reason.

BARRY

A following up with 2 when I drop partner's K? I think dummy will
have 2S not 3S but may have a quick ruff.

DAN

J. I'm assuming 5-Card Majors; if 1 were natural I'd lead
partner's suit. I hate this problem very much; I want to lead
all of the suits. I want to lead a trump but I don't think
I can afford the loss of the tempo. This way I'll get to lead
red suits twice through dummy.

JOEL

2. interesting if this should be a lebensohl situation for the
3 bidder. If not, 2nt (scrambling) seems like a better call than 3,
since it'll allow you to play 3d when partner has 1-4-5-3, 2-3-5-3, or
2-4-5-2 (I reopen very aggressively, which is fine if playing a
scrambling 2nt). [I play 2NT as lebensohl here, in which case,
this hand should bid 3. In any case, this partner played 2NT
as natural/impossible, so it wasn't an issue. --Jeff]

MIKE

You must be playing strong NTs, otherwise you'd double. Looks
like a good time to lead trumps. I'll start with a low one...
if partner is stiff, maybe the K will be an entry.

BOB, CURT, ED, ROLF, WALTER, WEB, JEFF AT THE TABLE

small spade.

CONSENSUS

small trump

WINNING ACTION

small spade. Dummy has a trick source in diamonds (!),
and Qx. A trump lead blows up the entry to the diamonds, but
one has to be very careful later in the defense to avoid various
endplays. A club out can be won by partner, who can then shift
to a trump, but that's not a guarantee, whereas a trump lead is.

MPs, favorable

A3 KJ853 A K9875

1-2; ?

ANDY

4. There are a lot of minimum hands for partner
where game is good, especially when I don't tell
the opponents how to defend first.

BOB

Four hearts - the Thomson Game Try.

CURT

Due to the poor quality of my second suit, I'll
try for game but not bid it directly. Exact try
depends on methods.

DAN

4. Yawn.

ED

Long suit game try and abide by partner's decision.

JOEL

4, I don't trust partner to bid on with the appropriate
hands. Our hand has too much playing potential.

4 - game is likely opposite too many hands where partner will sign off.
The bidding gives no information away, so the contract might make although
it's down against best defense. [Bingo. --Jeff]

WALTER

Has partner denied 4 trumps? If so pass. If not
2 Nagy or 3. If I pass I can bid 3 over 2 or double
3 and hope partner can leave it in.

WEB

4.

JEFF AT THE TABLE

club help suit try

VOTES

Slam try

1

Game

6

Game try

4

WINNING ACTION

bid game. Partner has KQJ 10xx 10xxxx 10 and
rejected (reasonably so) my game try in clubs. Game is
hardly cold, but RHO has QJx and covered the 10 and
LHO then shifted to A and another. This seemed to be
pretty normal defense; most were making 10 tricks.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

It's pretty close. It'd not be a problem
at IMPs, but at matchpoints plus scores are good. I
think trying for slam is a little bit on the optimistic
side, to say the least.

MPs, unfavorable

1062
K54
A9743
J7

Q4
A9762
Q10
9643

Declarer

Dummy

1

2

3 (help suit)

4

Partner leads the J. Small from dummy.
What's your plan?

ANDY

I'll duck, since I don't know what to return if I win.

BOB

Heart Ace, club six. It could be wrong, but I don't regard
the decision as close.

CURT

A, club.

DAN

Partner went passive, and I shall too. I don't see any reason
to rise at trick one, and I expect partner to be in before me
to lead more hearts.

ED

A9. Should be right or at least breakeven unless declarer
has only three diamonds.

JOEL

Hop Ace, and lead the 6 back (attitude), and if partner cashes
the Q & A, follow with the 9 next. If I had as much as the
A9862 of hearts instead, I'd be sure partner didn't have JT73, since the
percentage lead from that is low, and I'd go for the heart gamble by
playing low instead. However JT83 is going to take a strong willed partner
(especially if playing 3rd/5th) to find a low one, also.

MIKE

I faced this problem (I think) and played the A... allowing
declarer to make an otherwise impossible game. (his diamond
help suit was anemic).

ROLF

It is tempting to let the jack ride, but I prefer to take the ace
and switch to a club. If LHO is 1-4 in the red suits ducking might be
disasterous.

WALTER

Win the Ace and return a club.

WEB

Win A and switch to a club. Maybe your willingness to
let him keep a board entry will cause him to misguess the
diamonds.

JEFF AT THE TABLE

A, club.

CONSENSUS

A, club.

WINNING ACTION

duck. Declarer has AK98x Qx xxx AKQ.

JEFF UPON REFLECTION

I think it's not real close. Ducking has
several ways to lose, not the least of which is that they
grab five spades, five diamonds and a heart before we cash
our three tricks. Alternatively, we may simply blow to
a stiff Q. But it felt really silly to let a terrible
contract come home. Partner was not amused. ...There's
still some challenge to the defense if I duck, but I
suspect we'd get it right. I don't think I'd toss my Q
under the ace (it might be really silly if declarer's
diamonds were J52 or Jxxxx), but partner should be up
to the Crocodile Coup later in the hand once he sees
declarer play diamonds strangely. I suspect I'd think
about jettisoning the Q, so he'd have UI, but he should
know from declarer's play who has the Q anyway and not be
constrained.